What's up guys?! I'm back with a new chapter of Star Academy! But before we get into it, I'd like to apologize to those of you that are still here for waiting so long for this chapter. Last quarter of college was beyond hectic (I barely passed) and I had major writers block so I got absolutely no work done during Winter Break. All the while, though, I was thinking of how to go about this chapter and after adding to it little by little and coming up with ideas during my spare time, I finally got to sit down today and just finish it so I feel comfortable leaving this story for a couple more months while I handle school stuff. That being said, I pretty much just wrote the second half of this chapter without proofreading like I normally do so I apologize in advance for any and all mistakes anywhere in this chapter. Please bear with them as I needed to get this chapter out before I get super busy.

Legolas Dragon Ranger: I know right. I'm glad I remembered to have Alex return Charizard or that would've been a mess.

Heart of the Anime: I think I'll leave that decision up to the readers ;) Mwuahahahahaha

Guest: This is just the beginning so I hope you enjoy the plot I have in mind.

ABC'S: It would be helpful if you give constructive criticism instead of just point out what's wrong with the story. In what aspects do the characters need improving? Explain what's wrong with the relationships as of right now. I'm not getting defensive, I'm just helping you help me.

Zlaxe: Wow that pun, haha. Yeah, I think it's better that you didn't read the original story in the case because only like 5 or 6 characters return in this reboot.

Now for all of the guests that were just trolling (or maybe it was all the same person) that's not welcome here which is why your reviews are no longer visible. If you read this story and like it, leave constructive criticism. If you don't, then just leave. You're happy, I'm happy. It's all good. This is the only time I'm saying this so read these words and read them good.

Now onto the story!

Chapter 8: Safe

"S-Sarah?" he mumbled weakly.

"Sarah?" the girl questioned. This wasn't Sarah. Her voice was different from what he remembered. Much different. It was not as sweet and comforting. It held warmth but from the energetic spunk that resonated in it. "You must've hit your head hard." Suddenly, her appearance morphed. Her long black hair lightened to a chestnut brown and her caramel skin began to pale. Freckles dotted along the bridge of her nose underneath her burning amber eyes.

Mark rubbed his eyes to eliminate the inertia that created images in his mind. When he took a look at her again, he found that this girl indeed was not who he initially thought. He knew that it couldn't have been her anyway. The shape of this girl's face was somewhat similar to the face in his memories, though. He was slightly saddened by the false alarm but the situation soon settled in his mind and recollections flooded through it like the waves that had last engulfed him.

"W-who are you? Where am I? How did I get here?"

Mark looked around the room, noticing that there were multiple beds within the gray walls that formed a perimeter around them as well as one other person besides the strange girl next to him. He was a tall young man with a dark blue worker's uniform and a dull ivy cap concealing his hair. This man's sleeves were rolled up to his elbows to reveal two incredibly hairy and rigged arms. He stared at the adolescent with steely raven eyes.

The girl called Mark's attention back by saying, "Whoa there. Let's answer one question at a time. My name's Anya and mister tall, dark, and brooding back there is Trey. Umm, you're on a cargo ship and we found you drifting alone in the ocean." She gave him a moment to process the information.

Trey stood up from the chair he sat in and said, "It's our turn to ask the questions. Who are you?"

Anya whipped her head around, "Trey! He's probably still shaken up about this."

Ignoring her, the man approached Mark and glared at the startled teen to force an answer out of him. Crimson eyes dropped to look at the heavily tanned hands beneath them. Mark did not dare look into this man's eyes but he knew it was best to answer.

"M-my name is Mark."

Seeing as how the topic had changed, Anya sat on the bed by Mark's feet and asked, "Where are you from, Mark?"

"Well I live in Sinnoh…"

"Bullshit."

Anya gave Trey another look but he did not move his eyes away from the boy.

"I-I am from Sinnoh, but I'm…I'm a student at S-Star Academy." He answered very cautiously as to not upset Trey any further.

Anya nodded understandingly, "Ok, that makes sense. Yeah, I think there's a school not too far from where we picked you up."

"But why were you out in the ocean?"

"Well you see…" Mark paused for a moment to organize his thoughts and assemble a concrete explanation.

Trey rubbed his hardened hands against his stubble-infested chin, deep in thought after hearing Mark's story. The crimson-eyed boy did not dare to say or do anything until he spoke up and in that time, he felt something press against his chest. It was an invisible weight that made it difficult for him to breathe. Metaphysical fingers even began wrapping themselves around his neck, preventing even the smallest bit of air from passing through the fleshy tunnel.

Finally, black eyes lifted to meet crimson spheres and the owner commented, "Well I'm not sure about your friends but you're lucky we found you when we did. If the lookouts didn't find you with the search lights, this boat could've killed you."

The room felt stiff. The brief moment of release that Mark had when Trey began to speak fleeted and breathing once again became a struggle except this time, he felt his whole body being compressed from every side. The thought that he could be deep down in some unknown chasm far below the rolling waves could have frozen anyone. Trey decided it best just to leave the boy with his thoughts and walked towards the door.

As he reached the threshold, he said, "We'll see what we can do about getting you back to your school." With that, he exited the room and the door shut behind him.

Mark and Anya sat in complete silence until the amber-eyed girl patted his leg and said, "You're probably starving. Come on, let's go to the cafeteria!"

Alex walked down the path to the cafeteria with Pikachu clinging securely to the cloth of his shirt and Sergio and Cherilyn on either side of him. There were other students walking about campus – more than usual because of the lockdown – however, most seemed to be going about their day as though everything was completely normal. To some degree, Alex felt the same. Sure, he had almost died but all he could think about was filling his empty stomach with the academy's world-renowned food.

"So what's the cafeteria serving today?" the emerald-eyed boy asked.

"I believe zey set a sandwich bar today," the tiny blonde at his side responded sweetly.

"All you can eat?"

Sergio confirmed, "All you can eat."

Without preparing them, Alex sprinted across the lawn directly in the direction of the dining hall as opposed to following the cement path that led to it. He kicked up dirt and loose blades of grass, tarnishing the gardeners' hard work. The remaining two teens looked at each other, smiles plastered across their face, before pursuing their friend.

Pikachu clung with all his might to the flannel shirt as his trainer zipped across campus with the grin that belonged to a kid inside a candy store. Suddenly, the yellow mouse lost his grip on the red cloth, even with his sharp claws, and was flung forward by Alex's abrupt stop. What's more, Pikachu volleyed off of another figure before landing on the ground. His feral instincts kicked in, allowing his body to do what it needed to survive. A flip later, and the mouse landed on all fours with his back stiff from the adrenaline rush.

Alex on the other hand, was sitting on the ground at the base of the mysterious figure who looked rather upset as he turned around and complained, "Hey, watch it you little sh–Oh! It's you!"

Emerald eyes scrunched before directing themselves to the olive-toned boy, who held a hand forward. It took a second before the steel-eyed boy's name slipped its way into Alex's head.

"Hey, Jarrel!" Alex said as he accepted the offer and was helped to his feet.

"Your Kari's friend, right?"

"Yup!"

"Sorry about that." No I'm not, but I better hear an apology from you, brat.

"No worries, I'd probably be mad if someone bumped into me too." He grinned goofily and rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry about that, by the way."

Jarrel forced a chuckle and responded, "No, no, it's fine." His silver eyes caught Pikachu running past him and up Alex's body. "Oh, this little guy must've been knocked down too. How you feeling?" He rubbed Pikachu's head but the electric-type could feel something off about his petting. The third-year's fingers were rather stiff, rough, and most notably tense but he was being nice so Pikachu decided to not protest. He didn't smile either, much to Jarrel's discontent.

"Alex!"

The three turned to find Sergio and Cherilyn running towards them, the ladder of which lagged behind because of her boots.

When Sergio saw who his friends were with, he noted, "Hey, you're…um, Jarrel, right?"

"Yeah, that'd be me!" he laughed. "And you're in my P.E. class." Jarrel's eyes drifted to Sergio's right to find the petite blonde standing patiently with her tiny smile on her face. "You, however, I haven't had the pleasure of meeting."

Cherilyn politely put her hand forward and introduced herself, all while holding her gentle smile. Jarrel's smile, on the other hand, transitioned from the barely-noticeable forced smile into a more relaxed and comfortable one. It held a small hint of mischief to match the twinkle in his eyes as he looked the little blonde over.

"It's nice to meet you, Cherilyn. I'm Jarrel. Is that an accent I detect?"

"Oui! I am from Kalos."

For some reason that Alex could not explain, his jaw started to tighten on its own and he felt his form stiffen. He stood in silence while his green orbs travelled back and forth to follow their conversation.

"Ah, I thought so. That's really cool, though. My dad's gone there for business and I've tagged along a couple times so I've seen a bit of the region."

"Really?" Sergio asked. "What places have you visited?"

"Oh just here and there. I spent most of my time in Lumiose but I visited Geosenge Town to see the stone pillars there."

"Did you hear ze story behind them?" Cherilyn asked.

His expression softened, "Yeah, it's tragic about all those Pokemon. Still, I find it hard to believe that one guy made some huge machine all for a Floette."

Sergio's face scrunched from mere impulse. It was a strange thing to say. Why would it so unbelievable that someone would go so far for a Pokemon that they cared about?

He couldn't fight the urge to ask, "Why's that?"

Instantly noticing his mistake, he laughed off, "Well it's just that the idea of him trying to bring a Pokemon back to life is a little far-fetched to me, you know?"

"Yes," Cherilyn chimed in, "But it iz just a story, no?"

Alex felt so left out but was forced to just stand there in silence. Luckily for him, his stomach said what his mouth could not in the form of a loud, elongated growl, which made his friends laugh.

"Oh yeah, we were on our way to the cafeteria," Sergio explained.

"I haven't eaten all day," Alex said sheepishly.

Jarrel laughed loudly and patted the brunette on his back.

"Don't worry about it. You guys should get going then! Oh! Before you leave, have you guys seen Kari?"

Alex answered, "She said she was going to her room when we got back fro–"

"From watching battles," the silver-haired boy interrupted.

Jarrel could easily tell that Sergio just stopped Alex from revealing something he shouldn't have but decided not to bring it up. Instead, he merely played along and nodded.

"Oh okay, I was just wondering because she hasn't answered my text. Does she have her Poketch off or something?"

Cherilyn nodded, "Oui, she told us that she lost her charger so it died on her."

"Well that makes sense. She's a bit out of luck though, with the lockdown and everything. Pretty weird, huh?"

"Yeah," Sergio said, "I wonder what that's about."

"Not sure, but did you guys hear about the guy that refused to hand over his Dragalge and just took off?"

"What?!" they shouted.

"Yeah, it was some second-year. Alex, do you know that guy with the purple hair from Mr. Q's class?"

"The scary guy that doesn't talk to anybody?"

"That's him. Felix, I think his name is. He's a weirdo if you ask me."

Sergio pondered for a moment before saying, "Wait, I think I know who you're talking about. Wasn't he the top first-year trainer last year?"

"Something like that. The interesting thing is that he only trains Poison-type Pokemon."

Cherilyn was astounded, "Wow, zat iz impressive! So did he really leave?"

"That's what the word on the street is."

"We have streets?" Alex asked.

Is this kid serious?

Despite thinking little of his intellect, Jarrel laughed along with Sergio and Cherilyn.

"That's crazy," Sergio said. "Well we should get going before Alex's stomach starts digesting itself."

"Alright, I'll see you guys around."

Once they were out of ear-shot, Sergio smacked Alex across the head.

"Ow! What was that for?!"

The second-year spoke just above a whisper but his facial expression and body language simulated yelling, "You almost told him about the ship wreck!"

"And?"

"What are you going around telling people about that for?!"

"I didn't know that I wasn't allowed to."

Cherilyn reasoned, "Sergio's right, Alex. Perhaps it iz best to keep awareness as scarce as possible for ze time-being."

"If students find out what happened, there'll be a huge commotion and the media and parents will be all over the place. The school wouldn't be able to search for Mark and Rafi."

"Don't forget Chimchar," Alex added.

Sergio's eyes widened and his mouth slowly parted until he was left standing with a bewildered look on his face.

"What's wrong?" Cherilyn aked.

"Ch-Chimchar's not with Kari?!"

"N-no, why?"

"Kari told me that Chimchar can't handle being separated from her for long periods of time! He gets anxious and has mental breakdowns! Even when he's just waiting with me for Kari to finish getting dressed for P.E., he'll get antsy if she takes longer than five minutes."

"What?! Kari never mentioned anything about that! She seemed fine when we were together."

"Oh man, she's suppressing everything. On top of almost dying, her childhood best friend is lost, and her closest companion could be losing his mind right now. You said she went to her room, right?"

"Y-ye–"

Before Alex could finish that word, Sergio hastily walked towards the dorms. He turned back quickly to say, "I'll meet you guys in the cafeteria!" and continued without granting them enough time to respond.

Not knowing what to make of this, Alex and Cherilyn shared a confused look, unsure of whether to follow or not.

"What was that all about?" the brunette asked.

"He must be worried for her. I'm not sure what he could possibly do for her now but he must know of something."

"Should we go after him?"

"I'm sure he'll be fine. If he happens to need us, he will call us."

"Right…"

For the first time, Alex felt that the air had changed. The sun illuminated the cloudless sky from its place high in the sky and the breeze was gentle. The students passed along leisurely as though the school were not on lockdown and the campus Pachirisu scurried around in peace. Everything seemed normal but he knew that it was not. This change did not come from the situation that he and his friends were in but rather, from a presence. Yes, there was someone or something there and he could sense it. He could feel eyes burrowing deep into the back of his skull, pushing his chocolate tresses aside and piercing his scalp. He snapped his head around to take a look around but there was no one there, only more students, more buildings, and more trees.

The blonde at his side tugged on his shirt, causing him to look down at her gentle face as she stared back at him with worrying silver eyes.

"Iz everything okay?"

To provide her with comfort, he shot her a soft smile and said, "Yeah, thought I saw something."

"What did you see?"

"Nothing, it was just my imagination. Come on, I'm starving! Let's get going already!"

Without warning, he grabbed her by the hand and tugged her along as he started to run.

She staggered at first and laughed, "Alex, hold on!" Once she regained her balance, she eagerly followed him hand in hand.

Mark sat surrounded by workers – loud, rowdy men covered in sweat and hair – as they savagely tore through what they called "food" with their course teeth. The teenager could only assume that what they were eating was some form of meat from the way they bit and ripped it. Chunks of this substance would occasionally fly right by his face, sometimes landing on it, because these men did not know how to close eat with their mouths closed.

The boy would not flinch or even look at any of the workers around him. His crimson eyes were glued to the tray in front of him, blankly staring at its contents. A creamy hand gently touched Mark's shoulder, prompting him to look at its owner.

Anya wore a playful smile as she teased, "What? Do they not serve this at your private school?"

Realizing that by refraining from eating, he could have offended her and possibly other crewmembers, Mark quickly shook his hands and head defensively, "N-n-no! I-it's just that…" His eyes fell back onto the silver tray. "It doesn't feel right taking food away from the people that work here."

"Huh?"

"If I eat this, then there's less for you and your crewmates."

Anya burst out into laughter, making him feel stupid for his concern and selflessness. That is before she shook her head and said, "You can eat it. There's more than enough for everyone. There has to be." She slung her arm around the boy and pulled him closer to her. Mark couldn't look her in the eyes from sheer embarrassment. It was strange for him to be so close to a girl and he could only pray that his face was not too red. Anya did not seem to notice, however. "I mean, have you seen how the guys around here eat?"

"I take offense to that, Skips!"

Mark turned his head to find a husky man wearing overalls and a battered red baseball cap covering his messy orange hair. His meaty fingers held onto Anya's shoulder, smudging her shirt with grease, but she did not retreat or even display discomfort in the slightest. His presence seemed to be very welcomed and Mark could understand by his overall energy. His grin was warm and relaxed and his eyes revealed a kindred spirit.

"Well I take offense to you taking offense to that!" she countered.

"Yeah, yeah. Who's the kid?" he asked as he placed his oily elbow on the boy's head.

"Guy, this is Mark. And he's a student at Star Academy so I'm sure he didn't travel all the way out there to have a lard face use him as an arm rest."

He roared with laughter at the offensive name, "Marky here's fine, right m'boy?" The adolescent forced a smile through his shyness, not wanting to hurt Guy's feelings. "See? So what're you doing here, lad?"

Anya explained, "Long story short, he and his friends' fishing boat got trashed."

"Oh! So there are more kids onboard?"

She shook her head, "No, we only found him."

He knitted his eyebrows, "What happened to the others?"

Anya's eyes widened and she cleared her throat while aiming her eyes at Mark to tell Guy that it was a sensitive topic.

"Huh?" The husky redhead removed his elbow and looked down at the survivor to find that the boy's expression was very somber. With guilt driving through his cholesterol-filled heart, Guy put an arm around the boy and said, "Well since you're here, how about we show you around the ship, eh?"

"S-sure…"

Mark felt Guy's plump fingers harness to his shoulder and guide him away from the table. "Let's get on with it then!"

Crimson eyes rushed to Anya for comfort and his worries were settled when he saw her rise from her seat and follow along.

The dining hall was completely quiet except for the noises coming from Alex as he shoveled rice, beans, chicken, peas, carrots, scrambled eggs, mashed potatoes, pizza, spaghetti, and everything and anything else that the chefs dared to present him with. The ivory-clad workers risked their hands every time they placed a plate, tray, or bowl in front of him.

Even Pikachu was too preoccupied with watching his trainer eat to tend to the Pokechow that sat on a bowl in front of him.

"You sure were hungry," Stacy commented with a smile on her face.

Aaron patted Alex on the back with his large hands but the boy never wavered from his crusade to clean the cafeteria.

"It's jast good to have 'im back."

The incredibly tall girl nodded and agreed, "Indeed!"

Their momentary bliss was interrupted when Vera snapped at a couple first years sitting at their table.

"Hey, scram twerps!" she shouted, while wearing the meanest face she could muster. As she and Addison took their seats with their friends, the thin pale girl muttered angrily, "Dumb kids gettin' in my way." As she placed her foot underneath the table, the sole of her black combat boots slipped on a fallen tomato slice, causing her knee to hit a part of the table. "Ow-how-ow!" she whined, causing her friends to laugh.

Even Addison laughed, which caused Alex to stare at her, considering that he'd never heard her laugh before. Perhaps she was not comfortable enough with the freshman in their group or maybe just not comfortable with him. Regardless, hearing her soft voice laugh lowly earned her his attention.

When the small brunette realized that he was staring, her chocolate spheres darted to meet with emeralds. Upon contact, they quickly fell and her vigor evaporated into its usual silence. In fact, she actually looked slightly irritated by the fact that Alex was looking at her to the point that she mentioned it.

"Could you…stop starin'?" Her eyes floated upwards slowly until they locked with his.

Realizing what he was doing, Alex snapped out of his staring and apologized, "H-huh? Oh, yeah. Sorry…It's just that I've never heard you laugh before." His lips could not fight the urge to curve upwards as he complimented her, "You should do it more often. It really suits you."

Addison's head flinched backwards from the unexpected flattery and her cold stare faltered again as she took her tuna sandwich with both hands and muttered, "You should stop staring more often."

"Yeah, before I teach you a lesson, punk!" Vera threatened while raising her twig-like arm at him.

Alex was not intimidated in the slightest but thought it best to let the black-haired girl have a victory.

"Okay, okay, I won't," he negotiated.

With a victorious smile, Vera threw her arms behind her head and leaned back, forgetting that the cafeteria seats did not have backs. She fell back, hitting her knee again against the bottom of the table, and released another moan.

Alex laughed along with his friends but suddenly he felt a sharp pain in his chest. It wasn't a physical pain but more of a metaphorical pain. It was as though something poked a hole in it to release all of its contents until it was left hollow. Now that his stomach had been filled, his mind was able to function and he missed Mark and was worried about both him and Kari.

Without a word, Alex stood up and started walking away from the group, prompting Cherilyn to ask, "Alex, where are you going?"

The brunette stopped and turned around, flashing a forced smile to ease her worry, and said, "I'm just gonna' get some fresh air. I'll be outside, okay?" Apparently, his smile did the trick because Cherilyn flashed him one of her own and nodded. "You coming, Pikachu?" he called.

"Pika!"

With the yellow mouse on his shoulder, Alex exited the cafeteria, leaving his friends still slightly worried by his abrupt behavior.

Sergio had sped his pace from a stride to a light jog and from a light jog to a steady run from a steady run to an outright sprint so by the time he reached the dorms, he was out of breath. However, he made it in time to find Kari stepping out of the Aqua Dorm with…her.

As soon as his eyes lay upon those navy locks, he cursed profanities too vulgar for even a sailor but he spared the world of such brutality by locking those thoughts away in his head. After giving himself time to catch his breath, he stiffened his body in preparation for an encounter that trumped that of a Nuzlocker going against a Wobbuffet.

With every step he took towards the two girls, his heart rate increased by a few seconds until it practically left a bulge in his chest. Raven soon noticed him and her face transformed to utter disgust as her eye lids tightened around her orchid gems.

"I'll see you later, Kari," she said before bumping shoulders with Sergio. Their similar statures coupled with the amount of force Raven put into the movement was enough to make the silver-haired boy's torso turn greatly.

He scornfully commented loud enough for her to hear, "Thank Arceus she's gone."

Her ears perked and she quickly turned around with an annoyed expression smudging her face.

"Hey honey," Sergio started, "Halloween isn't for a few weeks. You can take that mask off."

"I can at least change my facial expression. You can't change your stupidity."

"Actually anyone can get smarter by reading. Looks like you haven't."

"Sorry, I'm not a nerd like you. My career actually takes skill to succeed in."

"Guess you're screwed then," he shot back.

Kari interjected, "Guys, could we not do this right now? I have a major headache."

Sergio turned to her and his expression softened, "Sorry."

"It's okay. Did you want to talk to me about something?"

"Yeah, I did..." He shot a glare at Raven and added, "Alone."

"Gladly. The less time I spend around you, the more brain cells I can keep."

"I guess trying to keep up with me burns them out."

"More like hearing your voice makes them want to shoot themselves. Anyway, text me if you need anything, Kari. And don't forget to get something to eat, okay?" She shot one last nasty look at Sergio before leaving.

"So what did you want to talk about?" Kari asked.

He briefly scanned their surroundings before saying, "We should go somewhere with less people."

"I just came from my room. I don't feel like going back up. Come with me to student store? I need medicine."

He nodded comprehensively and followed her down the cement path to central campus.

"So what did you want to talk about?"

"I heard that Chimchar…got separated."

She nodded silently, inwardly praying that she could stop getting reminded. She was conflicted by thoughts of wanting him back and the desire to just not think about anything for a while.

Noticing her distress, Sergio apologized, "I'm sorry for bringing it up. I just wanted to check up on you."

"I'm fine."

He stopped and weakly said, "Kari…"

She suddenly stopped too and snapped, "I said I'm fine!"

Nearby students looked her way but she just ignored them which was quiet easy considering that she completely forgot that anyone existed in this world other than herself, Sergio, Mark, and Chimchar, the latter two of whom were somewhere else on that vacant rock. Or at least, it was vacant to her. Nothing and no one else mattered at that moment because her two best friends were alone. The only thing that kept her from throwing herself into the waves was the hopeful thought that they were together and looking out for each other.

She fought back the warm liquid that flooded her eye sockets until it spilled onto her pink cheeks, descending until they reached her chin where they'd give into gravity's might and plummet to the ground. It was hard not to cry despite her best efforts. Warm arms wrapped around her forcing her hazel eyes to open. She shuddered from the close contact but without her consent, her olive hand slowly lifted to wrap around the tan wrist holding her.

"It's okay…" he said. "Let it out. You need to cry."

"I can't," she choked out. "I can't be weak right now. I have to be strong for them…for me."

Sergio guided her with his hands to turn around until they faced each other.

He told her, "Sometimes it's okay to let other people share your burden."

Bronze thumbs pressed against her cheeks and pushed the tears away. Kari wrapped her arms around Sergio's sides and rested her chin on his shoulder with her eyes squeezed tightly. He hugged her back and held her close but gently to comfort her. The two stood like that for quite some time and Sergio was prepared to stand like that for as long as he had to, which is what he did.

When Kari was finally ready, she let go and gave him a genuine smile. "Thank you," she said.

"Anything," he responded. "Medicine's on me, okay?"

She nodded and walked beside him towards the student store.

Guy's meaty fingers pushed Mark through the ship as he explained to the boy where everything was. He and Anya showed him the kitchen, front deck, the sleeping quarters, the boiler room, and the cargo hold, introducing him to crewmembers as they went along.

"So lad, how you likin' the place? I know it ain't no fancy shmancy boardin' school but it's pretty spiffy, wouldn't ya' say?"

"I-I guess it's very homely. You all seem to be rather close to one another."

"You guess?" Guy pushed his sleeves up so reveal the hairy arms underneath. "Why I oughta." Noticing the frightened look on Mark's face, he burst into laughter and placed his hand on the boy's shoulder. "I'm just messin' with you, kid."

"Lard face, here, wouldn't hurt a Butterfree," Anya said with an honest smile. "He was just playing with you."

"Learn to ease up, alright?" Guy suggested.

"Okay…"

"'Scuse me's, people. Comin' through!"

Mark's ruby spheres landed upon a bald man walking down the hallway in their direction however, his attire segregated him from the workers there. Rather than a uniform, he wore a leather jacket with tattered blue jeans. His dark plum eyes met Mark's and the boy could see a wild mischief roaming inside them. He was accompanied by other men in clothing similar to his and all of them looked rather dangerous. A couple wore sunglasses to hide their hungry eyes but the bald one at the helm of their group left wanted the world to feel burning greed. He wanted the entire world in his torn pockets to do with what he pleased.

"Why hello there, lovely," he said, directed towards Anya.

She gave him a cold scowl but dared not say anything to him.

"Misael, m'boy!" Guy said with fake enthusiasm, to earn his attention. "'Ere to visit yer uncle, are ya'?"

"Why yes I am. Keepin' the ship floating, eh Guy?"

"That's meh job, lad."

"My uncle appreciates it," he said with faux friendliness. "So who's this squirt?"

"It's meh nephew!" Guy announced, calling back Misael's attention.

The bald man gave him a quizzical look and curtly stated, "You two look nothing alike."

"That's cuz he's m'wife's nephew."

"Oh, that makes sense."

"What's he doing here?"

"M'sister-in-law wanted me to show 'im around the joint to see if he liked sailin'."

"Oh, is that right?" he asked with a hint of skepticism in it. "So how do you like it?"

Mark did his best to meet his eyes, his gaze faltered. He answered him nonetheless.

"I-I'm liking it."

With a sinister smile Misael said, "Well I'll be seein' you around then." As he passed by Anya, he gave her a wink, which made her body want to wriggle and squirm from sheer disgust.

Once the leather-clad men were gone, Anya stated, "I hate him."

"And you think I love lickin' the bottom of 'is boot?"

"Umm…" The two workers turned around to find a very confused Mark, patiently waiting to speak. "Who is he?"

Guy answered, "That's Misael. E's the cap'n's nephew."

"And a total creep," Anya added. "The pay here is good and the captain isn't really a hard-ass but just knowing that that douchebag can come on and off of the ship freely makes me want to get a new job."

"So why don't you?"

The orange-eyed girl shook from surprise before the burning spheres fell slightly.

"I can't," she answered. "I never graduated high school. This was the only job I could find to pay help my parent's pay for their little apartment on Crescent Island after my dad got a hernia from delivering ice. I don't exactly get time to search for another job and I can't just take time off because bills need to get paid so I'm kind of stuck here, you know?"

"I'm sorry to hear about your situation."

"Pft, it's nothing. Some people have worst problems." He knew that comment was directed towards his situation which made his eyes droop. "But don't worry, we'll get you back soon."

"How long will that take?" Quickly catching his mistake, Mark added, "Not to be rude or rush you or anything."

"Hey, Guy?"

"Hm?"

"Do you have a map of the Milky Ocean on you?"

"Right 'ere in m'overalls," he replied while taking a rolled up piece of paper out of his pocket.

"Thank you," she sang while opening the map and pressing it against the wall for them to see. "Okay, so this is Crescent Island and your school is here, right?" She asked, pointing to a star-like island west of the moon-like island and near the center of the map.

"Mhm."

"Okay and we found you around here, right?" Her finger hovered over a blue area between Star Island and Moonlight Island.

"Yeah."

"Well right now, we're over here." She moved her finger northwest of the spot it was previously at.

"Oh. Where are we headed, then?"

"To this island right here. It's called Valor Island. We're going to deliver some construction supplies so they can rebuild the old lab that had a meltdown there a few years ago."

"A lab? What happened there?"

"No one knows, lad. Just one day, the whole island went up in smoke but they were doin' some important research or somethin' so they want to rebuild it."

"We're just dropping off the supplies and heading back to Crescent Island so we can drop you off on your island on the way or send you back when we get there. Whatever the captain decides. Trey went to talk to him and see what he says."

"Okay, thank you both very much for your hospitality," he said with a bow.

"Now what did I just tell ya' about loosenin' up?" Guy scolded.

Mark automatically stiffened, "S-sorry!"

"Y'er gettin' even worst!"

"I-I can't help it!" he whined, causing the workers to laugh. Soon the infectious laughter made it's way into his lungs and he couldn't keep from joining them.

When they had all settled down, Mark asked, "Hey, do either of you happen to have a phone so I can call my friends at school? I lost my backpack out at sea." Suddenly, it hit him. "Oh no! My backpack! My homework was in there!"

Anya chuckled, "I'm sure your teachers will forgive you for it considering your situation. Anyways, nope, you're out of luck in that department. We only have a CB radio. Does your school have one?"

"I don't think so."

Guy suggested, "Well we'll send a message through juss in case."

"Thank you, I really appreciate it." He bowed again, earning another scolding.

Alex's walk had taken him far off campus, past the northern woods, and to the beach where he and his group departed from. He could smell the strong scent of sea salt in the air from the droplets that sprayed onto his face with each crashing wave.

He filled his lungs with a sharp breath before yelling at the top of his lungs, "Mark! Rafi! Chimchar! Where are you?!"

The only answer he got was from the passing Wingulls, which demotivated him. He plopped onto the sand and hung his head. What else was he expecting? If they were still alive, they were miles away on some remote island. If they were fortunate enough to land where there was civilization, the school would have gotten word from them.

"That didn't work?"

Alex's head snapped upwards to find Dr. Boykin standing beside him. The boy did not know what shocked him more: the fact that the instructor was there or his outfit. The brunette man was wearing a black wet suit with navy blue strips running down his chest. A Poke Ball was held firmly in his right hand.

"D-Dr. Boykin. What are you doing here? And what are you wearing?"

"I'm here for the same reason that you are. I came to search for your friends."

"You're going out there?"

"Yes I am. I'm not going to find them on this beach. However, that would be convenient." Alex's eyes fell to the red and white sphere in the man's hand and Dr. Boykin immediately knew what he was going to ask. The man laughed a bit before sitting down next to him and continuing, "I can understand the surprised look. You know, I used to be a Pokemon Trainer myself."

"R-really?"

"Yes. That was probably…whew! I can't believe it's been fifteen years since my last match."

"W-whoa! How old are you?!"

Alex was completely oblivious to how rude that question sounded but Pikachu couldn't help but face palm. Dr. Boykin was not bothered, however. Instead, he laughed.

"I'm thirty-three. Right after I lost that championship match, I decided to become a scholar and entered college to study Astronomy and Physics."

"How come you didn't keep battling? I mean, you must've been pretty good to reach the championships."

Boykin's gaze drifted to out to the ocean and Alex could see that the man was revisiting his days as a trainer – reliving the battles that he fought alongside his Pokemon.

"I was pretty good. Back when I started training, they didn't have schools like this where they helped you hone your skills and strengthen your bond with your Pokemon. They started up maybe a couple years after I'd already reached the pro league and I was doing good for a while until the competition started breeding their Pokemon to have the perfect natures with the perfect moves. Pure will and determination just didn't cut it anymore. Their Pokemon were just naturally better than mine and no matter how much I pushed my partners or how hard they tried, we just couldn't keep up. It was all downhill from there."

"Ohh. I'm sorry that that happened. How come you didn't just get a bred team like everyone else?"

A smile surfaced on the man's face as he pushed his glasses up.

"I couldn't just abandon the Pokemon that fought so hard for me for so long. Would you have?"

"Of course not!"

"You see, I may not be your battle instructor but I became a teacher to inspire youth in whatever they choose to pursue. I'm here to guide you to your full potential."

"Really?!" the boy asked with an excited smile.

Dr. Boykin chuckled, "Yes. Now I should get going. The sooner I get out there, the sooner I'll be able to find your friends."

Alex sat back and watched as the instructor approached the rolling waves and tossed his Poke Ball up high into the sky. It burst open with a bright light and dropped a shark-head Pokemon with dark blue scales and yellow star mark on its head. The water-type landed in the water and waited patiently for his trainer to mount him.

The brunette man had not ridden his Sharpedo in quite some time and it showed in the way he struggled slightly to get on. Once he securely sat on the Pokemon's back with his grip on the large fin, he said, "Okay Geyser, I haven't let you out in a while, but can you do me the favor and help me search for some students?" Geyser answered with a nod and a low growl. Dr. Boykin then turned to look at a bewildered Alex and bid him farewell.

As he watched the teacher and water-type tear through the waves, Alex turned to Pikachu and asked, "He'll come back with them, right?"

The electric-type nodded with positivity, "Pika!"

"Still…"

"Pika?"

"I wish I could do something. If only they hadn't taken Charizard and Pidgeotto."

"Pika, pi," he agreed sullenly.

Alex remained seated in the same spot, watching the gentle waves rise and fall in a strangely organized wave. They rose and fell when they were required to, never rushing to get to where they were headed.

"It's crazy that something like that…" Pikachu looked up at his trainer, realizing that the brunette was talking about the wild Gyarados, "lives out there."

"Pikachu…"

The boy quickly rose to his feet and said, "Well I'm not scared of that thing! It's strong but we'll get stronger, right?"

"Chu! Pikachu!"

With a soft smile, he looked back at the waves for a few more moments before realization sunk in.

"Wait a minute!" He plucked a Poke Ball from his belt and held it in front of Pikachu. "They took all of the Pokemon we had to get off the island, but they didn't stop us from getting more!"

The mouse understood what he was trying to say and cheered excitedly, "Pika!"

"We've got to ask Aaron for his fishing rod! Come on, buddy!"

And scene! I'm sorry that this chapter isn't super long like you all deserve after waiting so long but I just needed to get this chapter out. There were no new submitted characters introduced this chapter so I apologize to everyone waiting for your character to appear but they will come out. I'm glad that no one has really asked "When is my character going to show up" in their reviews because that is one of the most annoying things ever and it honestly just says that you're here for your character and not for the story so high five to my readers for not doing that!

That's all I pretty much have for you guys this time around so leave your thoughts on the chapter, the characters, and the plot in the reviews and I'll see you guys next time! Legacy, out!